UPSC Prelims Practice
Current Affairs Quiz 14 July 2026
Daily Practice
Test Your Knowledge
15 questions based on today’s current affairs & editorials
15 MCQs
Explanations
Statistics
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Question 1 of 15
The Index of Services Production (ISP), launched in July 2026, is the services-sector counterpart of which existing index?
FACT: The Index of Services Production (ISP), released by MoSPI on July 14, 2026, is the services-sector analogue of the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), giving a high-frequency tracker for the services economy for the first time. ANALYSIS: Services contribute more than 50 per cent of India’s Gross Value Added but had no such monthly output index until now.
📝 Concept Note
The ISP has a base year of 2024-25 and is a fixed-weight Laspeyres volume index; it draws on administrative data, GST outward-supply data and the ASISSE survey.
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
| 🔗 Cross-Paper Links | GS3 economy and statistics. |
| ✍️ Mains Keywords | services economy, statistical infrastructure, evidence-based policy. |
| ⚠️ Common Mistake | confusing the ISP (services output) with the PMI (a survey-based sentiment index). |
| 📌 Exam Tip | ISP is the services analogue of the IIP. |
| 🎤 Interview | ** Measuring a services-led economy. |
Question 2 of 15
The Index of Services Production uses which base year?
FACT: The ISP uses a base year of 2024-25, aligned with the revised CPI series. ANALYSIS: It is compiled by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), which also compiles the IIP, CPI and GDP.
📝 Concept Note
The same July 14, 2026 release also carried the new-base WPI, the Output PPI and a trial Input PPI for June 2026.
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
| 🔗 Cross-Paper Links | GS3 economy. |
| ✍️ Mains Keywords | base-year revision, data systems, GST as a statistical backbone. |
| ⚠️ Common Mistake | assuming an older base year. |
| 📌 Exam Tip | ISP base year is 2024-25. |
| 🎤 Interview | ** Keeping economic statistics current. |
Question 3 of 15
The AS-HAPS programme, opened to industry by the IAF in July 2026, concerns which kind of platform?
FACT: AS-HAPS stands for Airship-based High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite, a stratospheric surveillance airship operating at around 20 km altitude, and the Indian Air Force opened the roughly Rs 15,000 crore programme to private industry in July 2026. ANALYSIS: Such airships bridge the gap between High Altitude Long Endurance drones and Low Earth Orbit satellites, offering persistent surveillance.
📝 Concept Note
The programme is being pursued under the Make-I category, in which the government funds up to 70 per cent of development cost; the DAC cleared it in February 2026.
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
| 🔗 Cross-Paper Links | GS3 defence and science and technology. |
| ✍️ Mains Keywords | ISR, indigenisation, Atmanirbhar Bharat, Make-I. |
| ⚠️ Common Mistake | thinking a pseudo-satellite is an orbital satellite. |
| 📌 Exam Tip | AS-HAPS = stratospheric high-altitude airship (~20 km). |
| 🎤 Interview | ** Layered surveillance architecture. |
Question 4 of 15
Under the "Make-I" category of defence acquisition, the government funds up to what share of the development cost?
FACT: Under the Make-I category of the Defence Acquisition Procedure, the government funds up to 70 per cent of the prototype development cost, supporting indigenous design and development. ANALYSIS: The AS-HAPS airship programme is being executed under Make-I.
📝 Concept Note
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by the Defence Minister, is the apex body for capital acquisition approvals.
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
| 🔗 Cross-Paper Links | GS3 defence and indigenisation. |
| ✍️ Mains Keywords | Make in India (defence), self-reliance, DAP. |
| ⚠️ Common Mistake | confusing Make-I (government-funded) with Make-II (industry-funded). |
| 📌 Exam Tip | Make-I = up to 70 per cent government funding. |
| 🎤 Interview | ** Financing indigenous defence R&D. |
Question 5 of 15
In July 2026, Ladakh announced Autonomous Hill Development Councils for how many districts?
FACT: Ladakh announced that an Autonomous Hill Development Council (AHDC) will be constituted in each of its seven districts, adding councils in the five new districts of Sham, Nubra, Changthang, Zanskar and Drass beyond the existing councils in Leh and Kargil. ANALYSIS: The Lieutenant Governor also approved 17 new tehsils, raising the total from 15 to 32.
📝 Concept Note
The legal basis is Section 3(1) of the LAHDC Act; Ladakh has been a Union Territory without a legislature since the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019.
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
| 🔗 Cross-Paper Links | GS2 polity, federalism and decentralisation. |
| ✍️ Mains Keywords | grassroots democracy, autonomy, Sixth Schedule demand. |
| ⚠️ Common Mistake | thinking Ladakh had councils only for Leh and Kargil going forward. |
| 📌 Exam Tip | AHDCs planned for all 7 Ladakh districts. |
| 🎤 Interview | ** Decentralisation in Union Territories. |
Question 6 of 15
Ladakh became a Union Territory without a legislature through which law?
FACT: Ladakh was constituted as a Union Territory without a legislature by the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, which came into force in October 2019. ANALYSIS: This is why demands for greater autonomy, including Sixth Schedule status and statehood, have grown, alongside the new Hill Councils.
📝 Concept Note
The LAHDC for Leh was created in 1995 and for Kargil in 2003.
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
| 🔗 Cross-Paper Links | GS2 polity and federalism. |
| ✍️ Mains Keywords | Union Territory, reorganisation, autonomy. |
| ⚠️ Common Mistake | confusing the reorganisation law with the LAHDC Act. |
| 📌 Exam Tip | Ladakh became a UT via the J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019. |
| 🎤 Interview | ** Governing a UT without a legislature. |
Question 7 of 15
The Indian Grey Hornbill, confirmed in 2026 to have re-established itself in the Gir landscape, plays what key ecological role?
FACT: The Indian Grey Hornbill (Ocyceros birostris) is a keystone seed disperser that aids forest regeneration, and a 2026 study confirmed it has survived and bred over four years after reintroduction to Gir from 2021. ANALYSIS: Hornbills are cavity-nesters, and their return is a marker of habitat recovery.
📝 Concept Note
The Indian Grey Hornbill is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List; Gir in Gujarat is the only wild habitat of the Asiatic lion.
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
| 🔗 Cross-Paper Links | GS3 environment and conservation. |
| ✍️ Mains Keywords | species reintroduction, frugivores, forest regeneration. |
| ⚠️ Common Mistake | classing a hornbill as a predator. |
| 📌 Exam Tip | hornbills are keystone seed dispersers. |
| 🎤 Interview | ** Restoring locally extinct species. |
Question 8 of 15
The NAMASTE scheme, whose third NAMASTE Day was observed in July 2026, aims to:
FACT: NAMASTE (National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem) aims to end hazardous manual sanitation through mechanisation and to ensure the safety and dignity of sewer and septic-tank workers. ANALYSIS: The third NAMASTE Day was observed on July 14, 2026, led by the Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment.
📝 Concept Note
NAMASTE is run jointly by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs; it complements the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers Act, 2013.
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
| 🔗 Cross-Paper Links | GS2 social justice and governance. |
| ✍️ Mains Keywords | manual scavenging, dignity of labour, Article 21. |
| ⚠️ Common Mistake | confusing NAMASTE with a health or yoga scheme. |
| 📌 Exam Tip | NAMASTE = mechanised sanitation, sewer/septic-tank workers. |
| 🎤 Interview | ** Ending hazardous sanitation work. |
Question 9 of 15
NAMASTE is implemented jointly by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and which other ministry?
FACT: NAMASTE is run jointly by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE) and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA). ANALYSIS: Its goals are zero fatalities in and 100 per cent mechanisation of hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks.
📝 Concept Note
NAMASTE succeeded the earlier Self-Employment Scheme for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers (SRMS) and covers sewer workers, septic-tank workers and waste-pickers.
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
| 🔗 Cross-Paper Links | GS2 governance and social justice. |
| ✍️ Mains Keywords | inter-ministerial schemes, urban sanitation, welfare. |
| ⚠️ Common Mistake | attributing NAMASTE to Jal Shakti or Health. |
| 📌 Exam Tip | NAMASTE = MoSJE + MoHUA. |
| 🎤 Interview | ** Coordinating welfare across ministries. |
Question 10 of 15
India’s campaign for a non-permanent UN Security Council seat for 2028-29, launched in July 2026, is branded:
FACT: India launched its campaign for a non-permanent UNSC seat for the 2028-29 term under the brand SHANTI, standing for “Securing Holistic Advancement through Norms, Trust and Integrity.” ANALYSIS: India contests the sole Asia-Pacific Group seat, reportedly against Tajikistan, with the election due in June 2027.
📝 Concept Note
India has served as a non-permanent UNSC member eight times, most recently in 2021-22, and is a leading troop contributor to UN peacekeeping.
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
| 🔗 Cross-Paper Links | GS2 international relations. |
| ✍️ Mains Keywords | UNSC reform, peacekeeping, multilateralism. |
| ⚠️ Common Mistake | confusing a non-permanent seat campaign with the permanent-seat (G4) bid. |
| 📌 Exam Tip | SHANTI = India’s 2028-29 UNSC campaign. |
| 🎤 Interview | ** India and UNSC reform. |
Question 11 of 15
How many non-permanent members does the UN Security Council have?
FACT: The UN Security Council has 15 members, of which 10 are non-permanent, elected by the UN General Assembly for two-year terms by a two-thirds majority under a regional-group system, and 5 are permanent (the P5) with veto power. ANALYSIS: India is campaigning for one of these non-permanent seats for 2028-29.
📝 Concept Note
India is part of the G4 (with Germany, Japan and Brazil) seeking permanent membership, opposed by the Uniting for Consensus group.
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
| 🔗 Cross-Paper Links | GS2 international institutions. |
| ✍️ Mains Keywords | UNSC composition, veto, reform. |
| ⚠️ Common Mistake | confusing the 10 non-permanent with the 5 permanent members. |
| 📌 Exam Tip | UNSC = 15 members, 10 non-permanent + 5 permanent. |
| 🎤 Interview | ** Reforming the Security Council. |
Question 12 of 15
The Central Vista precinct in New Delhi is to be officially renamed:
FACT: The government announced that the term Central Vista would be discontinued in official use, with the precinct styled the Kartavya Bhawan Area, including Kartavya Marg and the new Kartavya Bhawan office buildings. ANALYSIS: It continues the 2022 renaming of Rajpath to Kartavya Path; kartavya means duty.
📝 Concept Note
The Central Vista Redevelopment covers the new Parliament building, the Common Central Secretariat and the central avenue.
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
| 🔗 Cross-Paper Links | GS1 culture, GS2 governance. |
| ✍️ Mains Keywords | national symbols, urban redevelopment, heritage. |
| ⚠️ Common Mistake | confusing Kartavya Bhawan Area with Bharat Mandapam (a convention centre). |
| 📌 Exam Tip | Central Vista to be called the Kartavya Bhawan Area. |
| 🎤 Interview | ** Renaming public spaces. |
Question 13 of 15
The NeoSep1 global trial, which enrolled its first Indian newborn in July 2026, targets which condition?
FACT: The NeoSep1 trial, funded through the Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP), tests better antibiotic regimens for neonatal sepsis that is increasingly resistant to standard treatment. ANALYSIS: India’s high birth numbers and antimicrobial-resistance burden make it central to the trial.
📝 Concept Note
Neonatal sepsis is a life-threatening bloodstream infection in newborns; rising resistance to the WHO-recommended ampicillin-plus-gentamicin regimen is a key concern.
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
| 🔗 Cross-Paper Links | GS3 science and technology and health, GS2 health governance. |
| ✍️ Mains Keywords | antimicrobial resistance, neonatal health, One Health. |
| ⚠️ Common Mistake | confusing sepsis with malnutrition. |
| 📌 Exam Tip | NeoSep1 targets drug-resistant neonatal sepsis. |
| 🎤 Interview | ** Tackling antimicrobial resistance. |
Question 14 of 15
Bastille Day, observed on July 14, is the national day of which country?
FACT: Bastille Day, July 14, is France’s national day, marking the storming of the Bastille in 1789, a turning point of the French Revolution. ANALYSIS: July 14 also carries World Chimpanzee Day and Shark Awareness Day.
📝 Concept Note
World Chimpanzee Day marks the day in 1960 when Dr Jane Goodall began her study at Gombe, Tanzania.
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
| 🔗 Cross-Paper Links | GS1 world history, general awareness. |
| ✍️ Mains Keywords | French Revolution, national days. |
| ⚠️ Common Mistake | attributing Bastille Day to another country. |
| 📌 Exam Tip | Bastille Day (July 14) is France’s national day. |
| 🎤 Interview | ** none specific. |
Question 15 of 15
The Index of Services Production draws on which of the following as a key data source for market services?
FACT: The ISP uses GST outward-supply data for market services, alongside administrative records (railways, air, banking, insurance) and the Annual Survey of Incorporated Services Sector Enterprises (ASISSE) for health and education. ANALYSIS: This makes GST a statistical backbone for tracking the services economy.
📝 Concept Note
The ISP is published on the 29th of each month with about a 60-day lag.
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
| 🔗 Cross-Paper Links | GS3 economy and statistics. |
| ✍️ Mains Keywords | GST data, administrative statistics, services measurement. |
| ⚠️ Common Mistake | thinking the ISP is a survey-only index. |
| 📌 Exam Tip | ISP uses GST + administrative + ASISSE data. |
| 🎤 Interview | ** Using GST data for statistics. |
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